Getting a Rita's Ice in Springfield has been a 20-year dream come true for owner Justine Postorino.
In 2003, Postorino left her hometown of East Windsor, New Jersey — and her first job at Rita's she had since she was 15 — to come to Springfield to study at Missouri State University. At that time, the Bensalem, Pennsylvania-based Italian ice franchise existed only on the East Coast, she said.
Postorino, at the ripe age of 18, decided she would do whatever it takes to get the franchise in the Show Me State, she said. Two decades later, the first Missouri store, located at 2100 W. Republic Road, Suite 112, hosted a grand opening Sept. 29, bringing Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard to the Queen City.
“For all the years I’ve lived out here, I've said if there’s not Rita’s, I’m going to be the first one,” Postorino said. “I’m going to open one in Missouri.”
The Italian ice company started in 1984 when a Philadelphia firefighter started a shop in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, to augment his income. He named it after his wife, Rita. In the last four decades, the treat company, known for its 95 flavors of Italian ice made fresh daily, has spread to 31 states with 560 stores, according to its website.
Line out the door
Rita's Italian Ice is a unique treat, with rich flavors, often with ingredients like fresh fruit, Postorino said. Flavors include apple berry blue, cotton candy, mango and many more.
“It's so different, there's nothing else like it out here,” Postorino said. “It's not a slushie, it's not a snow-cone, it's just this smooth, refreshing treat.”
And that's not the only treat Rita's is known for. The franchise also whips out soft-serve frozen custard. Rita's even combines Italian ice and custard in the fan-favorite “Gelati,” which has a layer of Italian ice crammed between two separate layers of custard, Postorino said.
Gelati is “the best of both worlds,” she said. “It's so refreshing, especially on the hot days.”
The grand opening at the Springfield store garnered a crowd in the high double-digits, with the first 50 people in line promised free Italian ice for a year. The event also treated gatherers to samples and discounts at the door.
Franchise Fees
To start a Rita's Ice franchise, the company requires at least $100,000 in liquid capital and $300,000 in net worth, according to its website.
Starting a standard shop without a drive-thru is expected to cost up to about $625,000, according to the website. The franchise fees vary by type of agreement, but at a minimum, the initial fee is $35,000, which is what Postorino said she paid.
Postorino said she wants to expand Rita's footprint in the Queen City, eventually opening up multiple locations. For now, she's focusing on the Republic Road store, which she boasts is in a budding part of town.
“It’s like its own little community,” Postorino said. “I think it’s up and coming, there’s just so much growth over here. And I have just fantastic business neighbors.”
Getting Rita's to Springfield has been Postorino's dream, but it began in the shop in East Windsor, where she spent eight seasons as an employee. Postorino started working at Rita's in high school, and then came back later when she returned for breaks from college, she said. She still keeps in touch with the shop's owner and the manager.
“They're still the same ones” that run it today, Postorino said. “They're pretty much my family. I just had such a good experience working for Rita’s and I’ve loved it ever since.”
